“By engaging students to participate in the voting process early, we believe they will continue to vote as adults,” Hosemann said in a press release. “Our goal is to increase voter participation, regardless of age. The more familiar an individual is with the voting process, the more likely they will return to the voting booth in the future.”

The mock election is part of Promote the Vote, an educational program of the Secretary of State’s Office designed to encourage civic participation in our youth. More than 210,000 students in 78 of Mississippi’s 82 counties are participating in Promote the Vote this year, the highest student participation rate since the program’s inception in 1996.